It had been a crazy week, so on Saturday I decided to have some fun by driving to the top of Pike’s Peak.

I’d survived a week on my first “professional” job. I’d found an apartment and somehow avoided burning it down in the infamous burritomorph incident. I’d bought a new TV and a bed and managed to get them home with only a black eye.

At first, the mountain road was wide and welcoming. I was an adventurer living in Colorado now; this was my life. No more Kentucky hills. The mountains were indeed calling.

As I climbed higher, though, (a) the four-cylinder Civic began to begrudge me my food choices over the years; and (b) the road began to get narrower it got.

The signs changed from friendly to somewhat ominous:

• “Road narrows. Turn back if unsure.”
• “Proceed at your own risk.”
• “Wimps beware.”

I kept going. I should have turned back.

Eventually, the road narrowed to what felt like exactly the width of my Civic, give or take. On my left: sheer rock wall. On my right: nothing but Colorado sky. And from my driver’s seat, I couldn’t tell if I had earth or air under the right-side tires.

I had no idea what “success” looked like here.

And worse: I had no way to measure where I stood.

Had I brought a passenger with me, they could’ve looked out the window and said, “You’ve got an inch to spare or a foot to spare.” Instead, I was stuck making decisions based on vibes. And the vibes weren’t good.

Do I test the right and risk plunging off a cliff? Or do I hug the mountain and scratch up the most expensive thing I’d ever bought in my life…four days ago?

I reached out and folded in the driver’s mirror, edged left, and immediately heard plastic and metal scraping against rock. I almost puked. Putting it in park, I panicked and began to climb over to the passenger seat. I was begrudging myself those bad food choices now, fully convinced that my shifting body weight was going to send me to my doom.

I got to the window: there was at least 15 inches of road left over there.

That was the day I learned:

Without the right data, you don’t just risk failure, but you also risk the precious resources you have to invest in success.

What ColePress Offers

At ColePress, we always know the Distance Between the Mirror & the Mountain, so that your resources are invested wisely every time. We’ll track the right metrics, gather real insights, and ensure you know how much road you have to work with…before you commit your brand, budget, or reputation to a narrow path with no shoulder.